NYC Fire Hydrant Ticket:
$115 & the 15-Foot Rule
Park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant anywhere in New York City and you're looking at a $115 ticket — holidays, Sundays, and 3 AM included. Here's exactly how the rule works and how to never get caught by it.
The fine: $115, citywide
Under the NYC Department of Finance fine schedule (violation code 40), stopping, standing, or parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant costs $115 — the same amount in Manhattan and in every other borough. There's no first-offense warning and no time-of-day discount.
Flat citywide. One of the steepest standard curb tickets in NYC.
The hydrant rule never sleeps — nights, Sundays, and holidays included.
Cars blocking hydrants can be towed on top of the ticket — especially if firefighters need access.
15 feet, both sides of the hydrant
Fifteen feet is roughly one full car length. If any part of your car — bumper included — is within a car length of the hydrant on either side, you're in the ticket zone. When in doubt, leave extra room.
Yellow or red paint near a hydrant is not legally binding in NYC — in fact, NYC DOT considers painting curbs an illegal defacement. The only measurement that matters is the physical 15 feet from the hydrant itself.
Spotto's hydrant radar warns you before you park
Judging 15 feet by eye at night, in the rain, on an unfamiliar block is how $115 tickets happen. Spotto maps NYC fire hydrant locations and warns you the moment your parked position falls inside the 15-foot zone — before a ticket writer ever walks by.
Get Spotto NYC and claim curbside confidence.
Posted Alternate Side Parking schedules, 15ft hydrant proximity warnings, NYC DOT street signs, and peer-to-peer spot holds.